Boy, 14, guilty of murder of Liverpool schoolgirl Ava White

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A 14-year-old boy has been found guilty of murdering the 12-year-old Liverpool schoolgirl Ava White after he stabbed her in the neck in a row over a video posted on Snapchat.

The boy stabbed her and then showed a “callous disregard” for his actions, seeming “rather pleased with himself, as if he feels big”, Liverpool crown court heard during a 12-day trial.

The boy, who has a legal right to anonymity, had denied murder and manslaughter, claiming he accidentally stabbed Ava in self-defence.

But a jury took two hours and eight minutes to return guilty verdicts. The trial judge, Mrs Justice Yip, said he would be sentenced at a later date.

Ava was with friends to watch the switching on of the Christmas lights in Liverpool city centre on 25 November last year.

She was, said the prosecutor, Charlotte Newell QC, having the “time of her life” as she larked about in a group of about 10 children.

At some point a group of four boys aged up to 15 started filming the antics.

Ava took exception to the filming and squared up to the defendant, demanding he delete footage that he posted on Snapchat.

The boy’s defence lawyer, Nick Johnson QC, had said Ava, who was 5cm taller than the defendant, was the “aggressor” and wanted “to batter” him.

Newell said the jury had to consider the boy’s behaviour after the incident. He ran from the scene, abandoning the knife and his coat.

The jury was shown CCTV footage of the boy and his friends going into a shop, where they bought butter, which he said was for crumpets, and he was seen arranging his hair for a selfie.

CCTV footage also showed without question that he was the person who stabbed Ava but he denied being there, telling police he was playing Call of Duty with a friend.

Newell said: “Knowing he had stabbed her, his behaviour is of someone who is, at best, utterly unconcerned, at worst, rather pleased with himself, as if he feels big.”

She said the boy’s young age was not a defence. “He is not a babe in arms, he knows right from wrong.

“He was capable of making the decision to carry a knife. He was capable of deciding to use it and he was capable of lying about it over and over and over again.”

The boy, who has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, appeared at the trial via video link, often using fidget toys to help him concentrate on proceedings. He was accompanied by an intermediary.

It was a trial that relied heavily on CCTV footage. The jury saw the clear high spirits of Ava and her friends in Liverpool city centre, sitting in plant pots, sitting on top of each other, dancing, singing, falling over and running around a Christmas tree.

They also saw the fatal moment when the boy stabbed her, with Ava standing in front of the boy who had his right arm raised. In his right hand was a “reflective item”.

The murder, on a crowded street at one of the busiest times of the year, shocked Liverpool. Hundreds of mourners gathered at the city’s Catholic cathedral two days before Christmas Day to see her off.

Her coffin was covered in family photographs of Ava and mourners wore clothes that were purple, pink, red and blue – anything but black at the request of the family.